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The Herrington-Fitch Family Foundation Inc C/O Leslie Lee at a glance

· Private foundation

The Herrington-Fitch Family Foundation Inc C/O Leslie Lee

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$342k
Granted FY2025still arriving
35
Grants FY2025still arriving
3
States reached
$250k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0192% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Recreation & Sports$432kArts & Culture$358kEnvironment$258kSocial Science$247kScience & Tech$207kHuman Services$108kPhilanthropy$99kEducation$26kOther$0
02FY2025 · 35 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k32 grants · $29k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $12k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $51k
  • $250k+1 grant · $250k
$1,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$2.7M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
HISTORICAL ELK RAPIDS TOWN HALL ASSOCIATION$250,000
INLAND SEAS EDUCATION ASSOCIATION$51,200
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY$12,000
AMERICAN RED CROSS$2,200
OTSEGO COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION$2,118
THE NATIONAL WRITERS SERIES$2,000
ELK RAPIDS AREA EDUCATION FUND$2,000
GRAND TRAVERSE REGIONAL COMM FOUNDATION$1,500
COUNCIL OF MICHIGAN FOUNDATIONS$1,500
ELK RAPIDS SCHOLARSHIP FUND$1,500
GRAND TRAVERSE REGIONAL LAND CONSERVANCY$1,200
SEEDS$1,200
MICHIGAN LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS ED$1,200
GROUNDWORK CENTER$1,200
MUNSON HEALTHCARE REGIONAL FOUNDATION$1,200
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY20–24, $102k) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 0% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%NORTHWESTERN MICHIGAN COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY: $100k → 10%GENERATIONS AHEAD: $2k → 10%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

ME
IL
MI
NY
MA
IA
DC
AL
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

72%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.2M · 39 repeat orgs$477k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +41% since the first grant, against +19% for those funded once.

39 repeat relationships: 32 still active in FY2025, 7 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

39
14

Total granted

$1.2M
$227k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+41%
+19%

Still filing today

49%
71%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 26% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $250k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
EnvironmentArts & CultureHuman ServicesScience & TechPhilanthropyRecreation & SportsOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • WH
    WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION
    3× · 2019–2023 · $207k · revenue +32%
  • TA
    TRAVERSE AREA RECREATION & TRANSPORTATION TRAILS INC
    4× · 2020–2024 · $200k · revenue +89%
  • Northwestern University
    9× · 2017–2025 · $182k · revenue +41%

Funded once

  • NM
    NORTHWEST MICHIGAN COMMUNITY ACTION
    one grant, 2020 · $100k · revenue +19%
  • DC
    DISCOVERY CENTER GREAT LAKESgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $50k · revenue +978%
  • BH
    BENTLEY HISTORICAL LIBRARY
    one grant, 2022 · $40k
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Land Conservancy of West Michigan

Our mission is conserving West Michigans ecologically critical land. We protect land by creating public nature preserves, providing support to communities and local governments in creating natural areas, and helping private landowners…

Environment
2
Six Rivers Land Conservancy Fka Six Rivers Regional Land Conservancy

To conserve, sustain, and connect natural areas, land, and waters that make the places we live special

Environment
3
Great Lakes Center for the Arts

The Center's mission is to inspire, entertain, educate, and serve all in Northern Michigan year-round by presenting exceptional experiences across the full spectrum of the performing arts and offering impactful educational opportunities.

Arts & Culture
4
The Little Forks Conservancy Inc

To permanently protect and improve natural environments in Mid-Michigan by leading and inspiring actions that conserve vital habitats and waterways for the benefit of our entire community.

Environment
5
Michigan Water Environment Association

Be and create stewards for the water environment of michigan. provide high quality education for michigan's water professionals. educate and inform policy makers and the general public. promote scientifically sound environmental practices…

Environment
6
Legacy Land Conservancy

Safeguard southern michigan's land and water to support diverse, resilient, and thriving communities - forever

Environment
7
The Northern Michigan University Foundation

The nmu foundation will establish and foster relationships to generate resources that benefit the strategic goals of northern michigan university.

Education
8
Leelanau Conservancy

To conserve the land, water and scenic character of leelanau county, and to provide educational programs to develop an understanding and appreciation of leelanau county's natural heritage.

Environment
9
Heart of the Lakes Ctr for Land Cons

Heart of the Lakes provides technical assistance, leadership training, and strategic communication tools that help organizations thrive - from grassroots land conservancies to larger regional conservation groups. Programs such as peer…

Environment
10
Land Information Access Association

Liaa is a community service organization working to increase the sustainability of communities and expand civic engagement. our mission statement is: helping people to shape better communities through: participation, education, information…

Environment
11
Minnesota Land Trust

The minnesota land trust protects and restores minnesota's most vital natural lands in order to provide wildlife habitat, clean water, outdoor experiences and scenic beauty for generations to come.

Environment
12
Top of Michigan Trails Council

We advocate and facilitate the development of a network of multipurpose recreational trails in Northern Lower Michigan.

Recreation & Sports
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Northwest Michigan Community Action; the most unlike its peers is Pine Hollow Institute. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

33 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 33 of the 56 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
10
Early backer (in before they grew)
31/33
Grantees still filing
23/33
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

HISTORICAL ELK RAPIDS TOWN HALL ASSOCIATION: $250,000 · OtherHISTORICAL ELK RAPIDS TOWN HALL ASSOCIATIO…TRAVERSE AREA RECREATION & TRANSPORTATION TRAILS INC: $200,000 · OtherTRAVERSE AREA RECREATION & TRANSPORTATION …BENTLEY HISTORICAL LIBRARY: $40,000 · OtherBENTLEY HISTORICAL LIBRARY+31 more: $179,875 · Other+31 morePINE HOLLOW INSTITUTE: $247,000 · Science & TechPINE HOLLOW INSTITUTEWOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION: $206,806 · Science & TechWOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INS…INLAND SEAS EDUCATION ASSOCIATION: $159,200 · EnvironmentINLAND SEAS …TORCH LAKE PROTECTION ALLIANCE: $10,950 · EnvironmentTORCH LAKE P…SEEDS: $9,400 · EnvironmentGRAND TRAVERSE REGIONAL LAND CONSERVANCY: $9,200 · Environment+2 more: $1,580 · EnvironmentNorthwestern University: $182,000 · Recreation & SportsNorthwester…NORTHWEST MICHIGAN COMMUNITY ACTION: $100,000 · Human ServicesAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $16,775 · Human Services+1 more: $2,000 · Human ServicesGRAND TRAVERSE REGIONAL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $70,700 · PhilanthropyCOUNCIL OF MICHIGAN FOUNDATIONS: $25,950 · Philanthropy+2 more: $2,818 · PhilanthropyDISCOVERY CENTER GREAT LAKES: $50,000 · Arts & CultureTRAVERSE CITY FILM FESTIVAL: $20,500 · Arts & CultureINTERLOCHEN CENTER FOR THE ARTS: $4,800 · Arts & Culture+3 more: $2,915 · Arts & Culture
Other$669,875Science & Tech$453,806Environment$190,330Recreation & Sports$182,000Human Services$118,775Philanthropy$99,468Arts & Culture$78,215

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetPINE HOLLOW INSTITUTE: $247,000 over 2y, 100% of budgetWOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION: $206,806 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTRAVERSE AREA RECREATION & TRANSPORTATION TRAILS INC: $200,000 over 4y, 3.0% of budgetNorthwestern University: $182,000 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetINLAND SEAS EDUCATION ASSOCIATION: $159,200 over 9y, 1.5% of budgetNORTHWEST MICHIGAN COMMUNITY ACTION: $100,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetGRAND TRAVERSE REGIONAL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $70,700 over 9y, 0.4% of budgetDISCOVERY CENTER GREAT LAKES: $50,000 over 1y, 5.1% of budgetCOUNCIL OF MICHIGAN FOUNDATIONS: $25,950 over 9y, 0.2% of budgetTRAVERSE CITY FILM FESTIVAL: $20,500 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $16,775 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetELK RAPIDS AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $12,350 over 9y, 0.2% of budgetTORCH LAKE PROTECTION ALLIANCE: $10,950 over 9y, 2.8% of budgetUniversity of Michigan: $10,000 over 1y, 3.8% of budgetSEEDS: $9,400 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetGRAND TRAVERSE REGIONAL LAND CONSERVANCY: $9,200 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetMUNSON HEALTHCARE FOUNDATIONS: $9,200 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetGRASS RIVER NATURAL AREA INC: $6,600 over 9y, 0.2% of budgetINTERLOCHEN CENTER FOR THE ARTS: $4,800 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetJORDAN RIVER ARTS COUNCIL: $4,600 over 9y, 1.3% of budgetGENERATIONS AHEAD: $2,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetINTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S MEDIA FOUNDATION: $1,815 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMICHIGAN LEGACY ART PARK: $1,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetCONSERVATION RESOURCE ALLIANCE: $950 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetTHREE LAKES ASSOCIATION INC: $950 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetGRANTMAKERS FOR EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS: $700 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTORCH CONSERVATION CENTER: $580 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetTHE MICHIGAN WOMEN'S FOUNDATION: $550 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetArts For All of Northern Michigan: $200 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetThe Great Lakes Childrens Museum: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

  • Who funds PINE HOLLOW INSTITUTE ↗
  • Who funds WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION ↗
  • Who funds TRAVERSE AREA RECREATION & TRANSPORTATION TRAILS INC ↗
  • Who funds Northwestern University ↗
  • Who funds INLAND SEAS EDUCATION ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds NORTHWEST MICHIGAN COMMUNITY ACTION ↗
  • Who funds GRAND TRAVERSE REGIONAL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds DISCOVERY CENTER GREAT LAKES ↗
  • Who funds COUNCIL OF MICHIGAN FOUNDATIONS ↗
  • Who funds TRAVERSE CITY FILM FESTIVAL ↗
  • Who funds American National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches ↗
  • Who funds ELK RAPIDS AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds TORCH LAKE PROTECTION ALLIANCE ↗
  • Who funds University of Michigan ↗
  • Who funds SEEDS ↗
  • Who funds GRAND TRAVERSE REGIONAL LAND CONSERVANCY ↗
  • Who funds MUNSON HEALTHCARE FOUNDATIONS ↗
  • Who funds GRASS RIVER NATURAL AREA INC ↗
  • Who funds INTERLOCHEN CENTER FOR THE ARTS ↗
  • Who funds JORDAN RIVER ARTS COUNCIL ↗
  • Who funds OTSEGO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds GENERATIONS AHEAD ↗

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Oleson FoundationGrand Traverse Region…The Art and Mary Schm…Rotary Charities of T…Consumers Energy Foun…The Brookby FoundationDTE Energy FoundationJim and Diana Huckle …Frey FoundationLes & Ann Biederman F…Green Brick Foundatio…Charlevoix County Com…
Oleson FoundationMI34.7× affinity14 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Oleson Foundation · Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation · The Art and Mary Schmuckal Family Foundation · Rotary Charities of Traverse City · Consumers Energy Foundation · The Brookby Foundation · DTE Energy Foundation · Jim and Diana Huckle Family Foundation · Frey Foundation · Les & Ann Biederman Foundation Inc · Green Brick Foundation Inc · Charlevoix County Community Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization The Herrington-Fitch Family Foundation Inc C/O Leslie Lee funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Herrington-Fitch Family Foundation Inc C/O Leslie Lee. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 63%
  • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: 63% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
10report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
1rely on government for over half their income
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 56 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Herrington-Fitch Family Foundation Inc C/O Leslie Lee’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home